Brown
Sugar: To keep brown sugar moist, store in an airtight
container with a whole orange, lemon, or lime. To soften
brown sugar, place in a microwave-proof dish, add a slice
of soft white bread or an apple wedge, cover tightly and
microwave at 100% power for 30 seconds. Discard
the bread or apple and stir. If you're out of brown
sugar, try substituting an equal amount of granulated
(white) sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses (light or dark) for every cup
of white sugar.

Butter:
To soften butter, let it stand at room temperature for 10
to 30 minutes (depending on the room's temperature). No time for that?
Either slice it or place it between sheets
of wax paper and pound with a rolling pin; the larger surface area will
allow for faster softening.

Cheese:
To easily shred cheese, let sit in freezer for 30
minutes. The firmer cheese is less likely to make a
melted mess on your grater. To prevent hard edges from forming on older
cheese, lightly oil the outsides OR rub with butter before storing.

Curry
Powder: When you use commercial curry powder, combine two
or more brands - each has a different mix of spices.

Dry
Beans: Soak beans before cooking to soften them, which
reduces cooking time, and to allow some of the
gas-generating substances to dissolve into the water,
making them easier to digest.

Eggs:
The simplest way to tell is an egg is fresh it to observe
it's shell. If it's rough and chalky, it's fresh. If it's
smooth and shiny, it's old. You can also place an egg in
cold salted water. If it sinks, it's fresh. If it floats,
it's old. To tell if an egg is hard boiled or raw, spin
it. A hard-boiled egg will spin smoothly. A raw egg will wobble.
It is easier to separate eggs when they are cold.

Measuring
Corn Syrup, Molasses, and Honey: Dip measuring cup or
spoon either in hot water or brush with oil before
pouring in the syrup. This way, you get all that's in the
cup to come out.

Milk:
Rinse the pan with cold water before scalding milk to
prevent sticking.

Nuts:
To chop or grind nuts fine in a food processor without
turning them into nut butter, add 2 or more tablespoons
sugar from the recipe. Toasting nuts intensifies their
flavor. Fire up a skillet (high temperature) and spread
pecans, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc. over its
surface. Stir constantly. When the nuts start to turn
brown, remove from the heat and reserve for use in
salads, pasta, baked goods and more. Keep a constant eye
on them during the process - nuts can turn from brown to
black in seconds. Nuts can also be toasted in the oven
(or a toaster oven). Spread on a cookie sheet, then bake
at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the
nuts occasionally while roasting. Broken pieces will
toast faster than whole nuts.

Oil For Frying: To effectively strain debris from used
cooking oil, use a coffee filter placed in a funnel. (Submitted by NIKEITA)

Rice:
Does your rice dry out when you reheat it? Next time, add
2 tablespoons of liquid for each cup of cooked rice.
Cover and heat for a few minutes on the stove or in the
oven. In the microwave, cook on high about 1 minute per
cup. Fluff it with a fork and enjoy! Perk up white rice
by adding chicken broth with a pinch of crumbled dried
thyme, marjoram, rosemary, or basil in the cooking water.

Salt:
Kosher salt and sea salt are the only salts used in my kitchen.
Kosher salt is best for cooking, while sea salt is best for the table The taste
of sea salt is more potent and the rigid shapes of the grains don't
roll off your food as easily. Now that it has become more
popular and more widely available, sea salt can be
purchased iodized, which I recommend getting. When
salting a dish, less is always best. As we know, you can
always add more, but never take away. Less salt allows
for your guests to season to their own taste, not yours.

Sugar:
A sack of lumpy sugar won't be if you place it in the
refrigerator for 24 hours.

Tortillas:
Tough and chewy tortillas? Try spraying tortillas with
water (or running them quickly under the faucet), then sautéing them briefly in a lightly greased skillet over
medium high heat.

Vanilla:
Make your own vanilla by placing 2 split and chopped
vanilla beans in 1 liter of vodka or bourbon. Shaking the
bottle once a day, let sit for 2-3 months, or until
desired color. This also makes great holiday gifts when
poured into glass bottles.

Wine:
Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice
cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

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